Westminster Underground Station: Faulty Lift

Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On what date the lift to the Jubilee Line platforms at Westminster Underground station became unserviceable; and on what date they expect it to be back in service.

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: This is an operational matter for London Underground. However I understand from LU that the lift from the Jubilee Line to the District and Circle Line at Westminster station has not yet been approved by the LU Chief Engineer for handover to the extended Jubilee Line and is awaiting some remedial work which will facilitate this.
	London Underground hope to have the lift in service by the end of March.

Aircraft Noise: Local Authority Powers

Baroness Hamwee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the powers for local authorities to promote and improve the well-being of their area contained in the Local Government Bill will, when enacted, enable local authorities to take steps to enforce controls on aircraft noise connected with airports in their area; and, if not, why not.

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The powers proposed in the Local Government Bill to enable local authorities to promote and improve the well-being of their area do not include new powers to regulate aviation activities.
	The Government's White Paper, A New Deal for Transport, announced proposals to improve the mitigation of aircraft noise. This includes a proposal that the Secretary of State would have powers to compel an aerodrome (where it appears that voluntary measures are not working) to prepare a noise amelioration scheme, and to agree it with the appropriate local authority. That authority would then have the power to require enforcement of a scheme if for some reason the aerodrome was not doing so satisfactorily.
	We shall be issuing a consultation paper on our proposals shortly.

Local Authority Deliberations: Public Access

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In the light of their policies for freedom of information, what their response is to the recent survey by the Society of Editors that reveals that an increasing number of new "cabinet" governments at local authority level are not allowing the public or press to witness their deliberations.

Lord Whitty: Ministers have not seen the survey by the Society of Editors. The arrangements we are proposing under Part II of the Local Government Bill would enhance efficiency and ensure more transparent and inclusive decision-making. Experiments which local authorities are carrying out are within the existing statutory framework that was not designed for executive arrangements. In some cases, these experiments do not yet match up to what the Bill, if enacted, will require.

Civil Servants: Death in Service

Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many civil servants' deaths over the last five years were attributable to their service.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: In the period 1 April 1994 to 1 April 1999, 2,420 civil servants died. Information on the cause of death is not held centrally.

UK Bicentenary: Union Flag Commemoration

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Falconer of Thoroton of 3 March (WA 117), what proposals they have to mark the bicentenary of the creation of the Union flag as the flag of the United Kingdom through the Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland of 1801.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: None.

Media Interviews of Government Ministers

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they believe that the public have a right to open and frank probing of both government Ministers and government policy by media interviewers; and
	Whether, in the context of freedom of the press and freedom of information, Ministers and their advisers should be permitted to define the scope and range of questions put to them by media interviewers; and
	Whether, in the context of freedom of the press and freedom of information, the quality of political debate is improved by the practice of Ministers and their advisers being permitted to predetermine the scope and range of questions put to them by media interviewers.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Government welcome the opportunity to explain their policies and programmes to the public through the media. The media decide what questions to put to Ministers.

Ministers' Letters to Members

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 9 March (WA 157), whether they will issue guidelines specifying the period within which Ministers, who in debate have offered to write to Members of the House, should do so.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: I see no need to do so.

Ethnic Minorities: Senior Adviser Post

Lord Dholakia: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they expect the post of Senior Adviser Ethnic Minorities to be filled; and what has been the cause of delay since the post was advertised in September 1999; and
	What procedure has been used in the recruitment process for the post of Senior Adviser Ethnic Minorities; and how many referees candidates are required to provide; and
	Whether their Equal Opportunities Policy allows the Cabinet Office to seek references from referees not provided by the applicants; and whether such references are discussed with candidates.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: As part of its response to the Modernising Government White Paper, the Cabinet Office instituted an open competition in September 1999 to recruit a Senior Adviser who will work across government departments on taking forward diversity issues in the context of the Civil Service reform agenda. My right honourable friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office is today announcing an appointment to this very important post.
	As with all appointments to posts in the Civil Service, the recruitment process used in this case has been selection on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, in accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Code, the related guidance on senior recruitment, and the provisions of the Civil Service Management Code as they relate to recruitment.
	The Cabinet Office, as the employing department for this appointment, is responsible for completing satisfactory pre-appointment checks, including references, before any formal offer of employment is made. There is no prescribed number of references that candidates are required to provide and references are obtained on the basis that any information provided is treated as strictly confidential.

BSE: Forecast Incidence

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they still expect BSE to "dwindle to insignificant proportions by the year 2001" (www.maff.gov.uk/animal/bse/index.html); or, if not, what are their current projections for the likely number of cases in United Kingdom cattle for each of the next 10 years.

Baroness Hayman: Projections of the number of BSE cases, derived from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency's (VLA) computer model, indicate that the epidemic will continue to decline. The latest VLA forecast as at 4 January 2000 is given in the table:
	
		
			   95% confidence intervals 
			 Year Central estimate of confirmed cases Lower Upper 
			 1999 2,083 1,774 2,392 
			 2000 1,114 889 1,339 
			 2001 470 325 615 
		
	
	The expectation is that the outcome, as in recent years, will tend to be closer to the upper 95 per cent confidence interval. Because of their increasing unreliability, neither the VLA nor the Wellcome Trust Centre for Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases makes predictions beyond 2001.

Debt Relief to Poorest Countries

Lord McColl of Dulwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How far they have fulfilled their pledge to match the United States' commitment to write off 100 per cent of the bilateral debt of the poorest countries.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The UK Government announced in December last year that the UK will be providing 100 per cent relief on the debts of countries qualifying under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative.
	In making this announcement, the UK has gone beyond the commitment made by the US by stating that the relief applies to all debt (the so-called "pre cut-off date" debt and "post cut-off date" debt), that the relief will commence from the time the country reaches its decision point under the HIPC initiative, and that it also applies to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries likely to have sustainable levels of debt after traditional relief mechanisms.

Cinema and Theatre Seat Sizes

Lord Lamont of Lerwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are aware of any proposals under consideration in the machinery of the European Union relating to the size of cinema and theatre seats.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: No.

Tourism and the Euro

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What will be the positive and negative effects over the next decade on the British tourism industry of the advent of the euro, whether or not the United Kingdom adopts the euro.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: It is notoriously difficult to predict trends in visitor numbers and expenditure by tourists one year ahead, and we would be unwise to try to do so for the next decade. We are not able to forecast the possible effects of exchange rates on the tourism industry in or out of the euro zone in this way.
	We are working hard, however, to ensure that tourism businesses in the UK are fully informed about the euro and the introduction of euro currency. My department chairs a working group which seeks to raise awareness of the impact of the euro on tourism businesses and to disseminate information to the industry.

DCMS Projects: Evaluation Criteria

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the targets set in paragraph 36 of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Social Inclusion Action Plan, whether the department has developed evaluation and monitoring criteria which can be made integral to regeneration and community-based programmes and projects; if so, whether those criteria have been published on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport website; and how they may be assessed via the site's search facility.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The principal criteria against which a project's success will be judged will be its impact on one or more of the following social exclusion risk factors: employability, vulnerability to crime (as victim or perpetrator), educational achievement, and health. The methodology of evaluation and monitoring will be developed by a researcher whom DCMS expects to appoint next month. DCMS will have initial findings from a sample of projects after 12 months and will also undertake some longer-term research. The research programme will continue to be discussed with an advisory group, and conclusions reached following the research programme will be published, including on the DCMS website, and shared with DCMS sponsored bodies, other departments, local authorities and the voluntary and private sectors.

Spoliation Advisory Panel

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which organisations they consulted regarding the establishment of the Spoliation Advisory Panel with regard both to its remit and to its composition.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Consultation on the membership of the panel is taking place in accordance with government appointments procedures. The views of a range of organisations are being taken into account both on membership and on preparation of the draft Terms of Reference. To date, these include:
	DCMS Public Appointments Unit
	Northern Ireland Office
	The Scottish Executive
	The Welsh Office
	H M Treasury
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	The Lord Chancellor's Department
	The Board of Deputies of British Jews
	The Holocaust Educational Trust
	The Institute for Jewish Policy Research
	The Commission on Looted Art in Europe
	The Museums and Galleries Commission
	The National Museums Directors' Conference (NMDC)
	The NMDC Spoliation Advisory Committee
	The Enemy Property Compensation Advisory Panel
	The draft terms of reference were published on 17 February, with a general invitation to all interested parties to comment within one month.

Museums: National Lottery Applications

Lord Freyberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which national museums are applying, or are proposing to apply, for National Lottery grants and how much is being applied for in each case.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Museums applying for lottery grants (since December 1999) Amount applied for 
			 National Museum of Science and Industry £4.57 million 
			 Royal Air Force Museum £4.56 million 
			  Museums proposing to apply for lottery grants 
			 Imperial War Museum £8 million 
			 Natural History Museum £371,000

Museums: VAT on National Lottery Grants

Lord Freyberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which national museums have reclaimed VAT on moneys received from the National Lottery, and in each case how much VAT has been reclaimed; and how much VAT those national museums with projects currently under way will be entitled to reclaim; and
	How much money non-charging national museums have received from the National Lottery; and, if they had been able to reclaim the VAT from their respective Lottery grants, how much each non-charging museum would have been entitled to receive, and how much VAT they would have been entitled to reclaim from current ongoing projects.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: It is not possible to give figures for VAT recoverable on moneys received from the National Lottery, but only on the total project costs. In certain cases, this can only be an estimate, because VAT is subject to negotiation. The Heritage Lottery Fund can only grant 75 per cent. of the total project costs and the VAT may be included in the grant request
	Non-charging national museums are entitled to reclaim VAT in respect of some of the costs incurred on capital and revenue projects. The table below gives the amount of VAT national museums and galleries have so far reclaimed and expect to reclaim on capital projects.
	
		Table 1: Charging National Museums and Galleries
		
			  Grants for projects1 VAT recovered to date from project costs Estimate of future VAT recovery from project costs 
			 National Museum of Science and Industry £31,069,000 £4,011,370 £1,619,415 
			 Natural History Museum £6,000,000 £1,050,000 £0 
			 Victoria and Albert Museum £16,000,000 £1,225,000 £3,744,000 
			 Imperial War Museum £19,124,000 £4,000,000 £5,000,000 
			 National Maritime Museum £12,500,000 £2,187,500 £0 
			 National Museums & Galleries on Merseyside £24,000,000 £1,300,000 £4,294,000 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Non-charging National Museums and Galleries
		
			  Grants for projects1 VAT recovered to date from project costs Estimate of future VAT recovery from project costs 
			 British Museum £45,700,000  £8,700,000 
			 National Gallery2 £0 £0 £0 
			 Tate3 £72,550,000 £13,500,000 £3,500,000 
			 National Portrait Gallery £11,900,000 £308,424 unknown 
			 Wallace £7,243,000 £400,000 £220,000 
		
	
	1 Acquisitions and revenue grants (for example the Museum and Galleries Access Fund) are not included.
	2 National Gallery has received £21,418,000 from the lottery for acquisitions and touring exhibitions. No VAT was recoverable on the acquisition, but £15,000 is recoverable on touring exhibitions.
	3 The Tate has lottery awards from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Millennium Fund for capital projects to Tate Modern, Tate Britain and Tate Liverpool.
	Since, in the case of non-charging national Museums and Galleries, final VAT recovery on projects is not yet settled, the difference between that figure and notional full recovery cannot be estimated at present.
	The National Army Museum has not received any money from the National Lottery. The Royal Air Force Museum has, but the information is not kept in the form requested.

Vehicles Used for Crime: Forfeiture

Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they consider that, where use of a motor vehicle has been necessary in order to assist or enable a crime to be committed, the courts should be able and encouraged to order that such a vehicle should be confiscated.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Under Section 43 of the Powers of Criminal Courts Act 1973, courts are empowered to make an order of forfeiture of property (including a motor vehicle). This power is available where the court is satisfied that the property has been used for committing or facilitating the commission of an offence or that it was intended to be so used. Exercise of this power is entirely at the discretion of the court in the light of the circumstances of the offence and the offender.
	The power is available for certain motoring offences (broadly those which are punishable by imprisonment). These include dangerous driving, driving or attempting to drive when unfit to drive through drink or drugs, driving whilst disqualified and the "causing death" offences.
	The Home Office is conducting a review of penalties for road traffic offences, in conjunction with the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions. This will include consideration of when the power of forfeiture should be available to the courts in road traffic offences.

Asylum Applicants: Dispersal Information

Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many applicants for asylum have so far been dispersed from the points at which they originally claimed asylum; to which local authority areas; and what standards are specified for their accommodation.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Information on the number of asylum applicants dispersed is not available in precisely the form requested.
	Under the interim voluntary dispersal scheme operated by the Local Government Association and the Association of London Government/London Asylum Seekers Consortium, 1,797 households have been offered dispersal since 6 December 1999.
	The available information shows the number of offers of dispersal made to asylum applicants and their dependants. This information is shown in the table.
	The standard of accommodation provided under the voluntary dispersal scheme is the responsibility of the local authority supporting the asylum seeker. The relevant standards are the same as those applied when rehousing any homeless residents.
	Table showing the dispersal offers made to asylum seekers and their dependants who made an asylum application in London or Kent under the interim voluntary dispersal scheme as at 15 March 2000.
	
		Asylum Seekers--Interim Scheme 1. Dispersal by Region 
		
			  From 
			  London Kent Total 
			 To
			 North West 663 49 712 
			 North East 256 5 261 
			 Yorkshire/Humberside 285 186 471 
			 West Midlands 55 12 67 
			 East Midlands 98 0 98 
			 Wales 0 0 0 
			 East 0 0 0 
			 South West 24 7 31 
			 South Central 157 0 157 
			  
			 Total 1,538 259 1,797 
		
	
	
		2. Dispersal by Region/Local Authority 
		
			  Number 
			 North West  
			 Liverpool 259 
			 Bolton 44 
			 Blackburn 35 
			 Manchester 46 
			 Oldham 26 
			 Blackpool 19 
			 Salford 63 
			 Wigan 48 
			 Bury 52 
			 Rochdale 62 
			 Trafford 15 
			 Tameside 23 
			 Stockport 20 
			  
			 North East  
			 Newcastle 103 
			 Sunderland 49 
			 Redcar 26 
			 North Tyneside 33 
			 Gateshead 32 
			 Middlesbrough 9 
			 South Tyneside 9 
			  
			 Yorkshire/Humberside  
			 Calderdale 11 
			 Wakefield 93 
			 Kirklees 70 
			 Sheffield 75 
			 Barnsley 41 
			 Leeds 39 
			 Grimsby 88 
			 Rotherham 38 
			 Bradford 9 
			 Doncaster 7 
			  
			 West Midlands  
			 Wolverhampton 23 
			 Birmingham 10 
			 Dudley 12 
			 Warwick 2 
			 Coventry 1 
			 Sandwell 19 
			  
			 East Midlands  
			 Derby 86 
			 Nottingham 12 
			  
			 Wales  
			 NIL  
			  
			 East  
			 NIL  
			  
			 South West  
			 Gloucester 23 
			 Devon 5 
			 Swindon 3 
			  
			 South Central  
			 Basingstoke 16 
			 Portsmouth 120 
			 Bournemouth 21